Armenia’s Investigative Committee has launched criminal proceedings over the alleged preparation of murder by a group of individuals, based on a report received from the Interior Ministry police, committee spokesperson Kimа Avdalyan said.
According to the statement, unidentified individuals, without authorization provided by law and with the intent to distribute, obtained data stored on a computer network that was not intended for public use and transmitted through computer communication tools. Motivated by hatred and intolerance, and combined with hooligan motives during a livestream, they circulated a video containing a real threat of murder against Armenia’s prime minister in connection with his state and political activities and political views.
“Criminal proceedings have been initiated over incidents involving preparation of murder by a group of persons, computer sabotage and illegal trafficking of firearms and ammunition,” the statement said.
A pretrial investigation is underway to identify those responsible.
A video circulating online showed several masked individuals addressing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the Artsakh dialect and using offensive language. In the video, one of them says, “Nikol, we are going to shoot you,” while others appearing in the footage are seen holding what are believed to be assault rifles.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reacted to the published video and responded using harsh language.
“Just look at these weaklings. So, they put on masks and think they are tough guys,” he said.
Pashinyan also urged the individuals shown in the video to voluntarily surrender to law enforcement authorities.
The election campaign, which began on May 8, will continue until June 5. June 6 will be observed as a day of silence, while elections will be held on June 7.
